Lab-grown meat ban takes effect in Texas

Texas has officially outlawed the sale of lab-grown meat in stores and restaurants, becoming the seventh state to enact such a ban since the federal government authorized the products in 2023.

The ban has been hailed by the state’s traditional meat and livestock industries.

“This ban is a massive win for Texas ranchers, producers and consumers,” state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement. “Texans have a God-given right to know what’s on their plate, and for millions of Texans, it better come from a pasture, not a lab.”

“It’s plain cowboy logic that we must safeguard our real, authentic meat industry from synthetic alternatives,” he added.

The Republican-controlled Texas legislature overwhelmingly voted in June to block the sale of the novel meat products, which are grown from cells from living animals traditionally slaughtered for beef, pork and poultry.

Those who sell “cell-cultured protein” for human consumption in Texas in violation of the new restriction could face civil and criminal penalties. The law, which will expire in two years unless lawmakers act to extend it, adds the products to existing restrictions in the Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Supporters of lab-grown meat argue that it’s more environmentally friendly and reduces the need to slaughter animals.

A lawsuit challenging the Texas ban was filed on Wednesday.

“Texas has always been a state with a ‘live-and-let-live’ mentality — especially when it comes to the kitchen,” said Paul Sherman, an attorney for the Institute for Justice, which is handling the lawsuit, in a statement. “No one is forcing Texans to eat anything they don’t want. But at the same time, the government shouldn’t prevent Texans from eating something they do want.”

The Texas Tribune reported only one restaurant in the state — a sushi restaurant in Austin — was selling cultivated meat before the ban took effect this week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted companies, including Upside Foods and Good Meat, the ability to sell their lab-grown products in 2023. To date, at least seven states have banned lab-grown meat in stores and restaurants.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the first state law banning the products in 2024, describing the move as a counter to “the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals.”

The Florida ban is also being challenged in court with the Institute for Justice’s involvement.